Abstract
This study aims to analyze the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Water–Energy–Food (WEF) nexus under the lens of institutional, stakeholder, and innovation theories. Specifically, this study focuses on AI as the technology adopted by companies to promote Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A structured literature review has been conducted on 94 articles published from 1990 to 2021 in ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. This study develops an in-depth review of the literature on the main articles arguing about these issues. The findings highlight the increasing relevance of AI in the water, energy, and food industries individually considered, but the study of AI as a connector between water, energy, and food to achieve SDGs is still under investigation. Research on AI for WEF nexus management has adopted mostly a technical perspective, neglecting the relevance of management tools and the business model concept. Most of the articles did not adopt a specific theoretical lens, but scholars recognize the need to adopt a multi-stakeholder approach and the important role played by AI and other digital technologies to address the WEF nexus challenge. This study proposes an integrated approach for managing the nexus through AI technologies to meet sustainable and responsible business models. The gap between research and policy making could be filled by combining scientific data and policy needs with inclusive tools that are technically viable for sustainable resource utilization.
Highlights
IntroductionOver the past two decades, scholars and practitioners have been paying increasing attention to the concept of Water–Energy–Food (WEF)
Introduction published maps and institutional affilOver the past two decades, scholars and practitioners have been paying increasing attention to the concept of Water–Energy–Food (WEF)
This study proposes a holistic approach to managing the “nexus” of the water, energy, and food industries through artificial intelligence (AI) to achieve sustainable, responsible, and predictive business models, that is, the goals of the UN 2030 Agenda
Summary
Over the past two decades, scholars and practitioners have been paying increasing attention to the concept of Water–Energy–Food (WEF). This process has tried to become a nexus for the “right way” to optimize the use of natural resources, promoting environmental sustainability goals [1,2,3]. Water is needed to generate energy and grow food; energy is required for water supply and produces food; and food can generate energy, reducing waste [5] This means that any issue in managing one of these resources can affect the others, and each resource can benefit from the synergies coming from an integrated approach to their use. Conceived as a tool “to promote policy coherence through identifying optimal policy mixes and governance arrangements across the water, energy and food sectors” ([6], p. 165), iations
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